There is a Singstar standalone title I'm interested in for the 5.1 mixes of the songs (Queen). I don't want to play the game, just listen to the songs in 5.1. Is this possible w/ these Singstar releases? Anyone w/ the Queen Singstar that can comment on the sound quality?

Thats a unique question...yes you can just listen to the songwhile the game isn playing. That shouldnt be an issue. IMO the songs sound pretty darn good but not audiophile quality.

^This. I have the original main Singstar game, not the Queen add on, but I don't think I would buy Singstar just for 5.1 audio, as I doubt the songs are remastered like some of those DVD Audio or SACD discs are. On the other hand, I did quite enjoy seeing the original music videos for older songs--though most got cropped to fit the 16:9 aspect ratio. I suppose you could just as easily watch the music videos via the free Vidzone app now, and the AQ might even be comparable.

Thanks for the info guys. What deficits do you find in the audio? Is it fake 5.1 (i.e. synthesized)? Any info on the codecs (DD, DTS, etc.)? Also, if I did want to get a mic and play the game, will any usb mic do the trick?

You can always play around with the free to play version of Singstar, though you might have to pony up for a song or two. It allows the PlaystationEye to be used as a mic. Other details you might be interested in about the game according to Wikipedia:

Quote:

Hardware
SingStar USB microphones

The SingStar games require SingStar-branded microphones – one red and one blue – which connect to the PlayStation console via a single USB converter. The USB converter was required so that both microphones would use a single USB port; the PlayStation 2 and later versions of the PlayStation 3 only have two USB ports, and the second port needed to remain free for camera functionality.[21] The PlayStation 2 Headset was originally considered as an alternative to microphones, however the headset was not technically sufficient, and London Studio felt that handheld microphones were important to the authentic experience.[19]

Wireless microphones, with a 2.4 GHz receiver attached to the PS2 or PS3 by USB, became available in Europe in March 2009.[22] Bluetooth microphones were originally planned to launch with the PS3 version of SingStar, but running two Bluetooth microphones together was found to be difficult, so the PS3 game launched with the same USB microphones as the PS2 game.[23]

Audio technology

The microphones detect pitch using digital signal processing, which analyses the frequency of the incoming signal via Fast Fourier transform. The frequency is then compared to stored information to evaluate if the note is correct. Regular singing segments do not feature speech recognition, and so humming into the microphones at the correct pitch will also score points.[2] Rap sections use a combination of speech recognition and rhythm detection.[24]

Tracks on the original SingStar for PlayStation 2 were mixed from master records, which allowed the artist's voice to be completely removed from the song. This feature was dropped in subsequent games because the requirement for master tracks would have restricted the studio's choice of songs.[23] SingStar for PlayStation 3 introduced the ability to digitally suppress vocals, using ADRess (Azimuth Discrimination and Resynthesis) technology developed by Dan Barry at the Audio Research Group, based in the Dublin Institute of Technology. The ADRess settings vary for each track, and the technology is able to successfully remove the vocal tracks from 80% of songs.[25]

The PlayStation 3 version also includes various VST plugins developed by Sound Forge, adapted to run natively on the console. The input signal undergoes a vocal signal chain which includes high-pass filter, wave hammer compressor and a reverb with a 1.2 second decay. Users are able to control the audio processing during playback, adding features such as pitch shifting.[25]

I actually tried the FTP version of SingStar myself last night (I hadn't really touched SingStar in the past two years). I found the interface of this digital version to be much smoother and the load times (especially to access community content) much faster than on my original disc version. Even redownloading all my previously purchased content was seamless (I didn't have to call Sony this time!). The only hassle with the digital version is having to keep my original disc in the PS3 in order to access songs from it, though I can always just stick with my purchased content if I'm only looking to belt out a quickie or two.

So if anyone is looking for an opportunity to dust off their SingStar mics, I suggest giving it a look (it's a small download to boot!).

I actually tried the FTP version of SingStar myself last night (I hadn't really touched SingStar in the past two years). I found the interface of this digital version to be much smoother and the load times (especially to access community content) much faster than on my original disc version. Even redownloading all my previously purchased content was seamless (I didn't have to call Sony this time!). The only hassle with the digital version is having to keep my original disc in the PS3 in order to access songs from it, though I can always just stick with my purchased content if I'm only looking to belt out a quickie or two.

So if anyone is looking for an opportunity to dust off their SingStar mics, I suggest giving it a look (it's a small download to boot!).

I tried it- thanks for the suggestion. I'd never seen it as a demo, but a search for it turned it up. I'm glad I was able to try it; the 1st 2 responders were right; I wouldn't want it just for the songs. I thought it was a good way to get some Queen in 5.1, but SS doesn't use real 5.1 mixes- it's just processed stereo. And not even that well processed; I think DPL Music mode would sound a little better.

I did enjoy watching some of the video replays though. Some of them were a real hoot!